7 Ways to Overhaul Your Family’s Digital Life in 2017

Working out and eating right are at the top of most people’s New Year’s resolutions. And as tough as those are, nothing compares with the challenge of a healthy media diet.

There are screen time limits to manage, new apps to investigate, and bizarre social media trends to make sense of (what’s with the mannequin challenge, anyway?) It’s like a 24-hour all-you-can-eat buffet when all you really want is a carrot stick.

But in a world where both parents and kids are racking up serious screen time, making a commitment to a healthy media environment is critical for family time, learning, relationships, and digital citizenship.

But we’re all in this together: This fun, crazy, innovative, challenging media environment affects us all. Here are seven ways to help you be more mindful, focus on what’s most important, get the most out of media and technology, and raise good digital citizens.

4 | Don’t ban; have a plan.

Keep an open mind about your kids’ media and tech, and accept the important – and often beneficial – role they play in your kids’ lives. When you have clear lines of communication, you can slip in your messages.

Create a family media plan to ensure that kids stick to limits. Encourage them to behave positively online and be upstanders. Talk to them about what they watch, play, create, and read.

5 | Seek out diverse characters.

Exposure to a variety of types of people increases tolerance and acceptance and dispels dangerous stereotypes. Being able to get along with all types of people is a skill that will help kids whether they’re interacting online or in the real world.

7 | Tighten your privacy.

Our increasingly connected world puts kids’ personal privacy and online data at risk. Just last year, several high-profile companies settled a suit alleging that they had violated the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA) by allowing kids’ data to be tracked. The ability to share anything at any time can be especially dicey to tweens and teens who may not be able to think through all the ways their posts can be used by others.

Make sure kids use strict privacy settings on social media, apps, and other accounts, and make sure they know not to share any personal information (name, age, address, Social Security number) with people they meet online.

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Common Sense Media is an independent non-profit organization offering unbiased ratings and trusted advice to help families make smart media and technology choices. Check out our ratings and recommendations at www.commonsensemedia.org.